1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic disk loading apparatus and, more particularly, to a magnetic disk loading apparatus including a cable container mechanism that makes it easy to maintain magnetic disk units or other components.
2. Description of the Related Art
A magnetic disk loading apparatus for loading numerous magnetic disk units is known.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional magnetic disk loading apparatus. In the drawing, there are shown a magnetic disk loading apparatus 51, disk enclosures 52, and magnetic disk units 53. As illustrated, the magnetic disk units 53 are stored in the disk enclosures 52 so that the face of the magnetic disk loading apparatus will be flush with the faces of the magnetic disk units 53. The disk enclosure 52 may have a multistory structure or a single-story structure.
Referring to FIG. 5, the magnetic disk units 53 are mounted on the face of the magnetic disk loading apparatus 51. Some magnetic disk loading apparatuses have magnetic disk units mounted on both the fronts and the backs thereof.
In general, magnetic disk units are susceptible to vibration. Even for maintenance, for inspection or for replacement, moving the magnetic disk units 53 within the magnetic disk loading apparatus 51 is seldom considered.
As a prior art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Kokai) No. 4-333003 is known.
Conventionally, magnetic disk units are mounted in a magnetic disk loading apparatus so that the faces of the magnetic disk units will be flush with the face or back of the magnetic disk loading apparatus. Therefore, a vacant area in the magnetic disk loading apparatus cannot be utilized effectively. The number of magnetic disk units that can be mounted in the magnetic disk loading apparatus is limited to a value not causing the sum total of the areas of the faces of the magnetic disk unit to exceed the area of the face or back of the magnetic disk loading apparatus. This poses a problem in that the maximum number of magnetic disk units mounted in the magnetic disk loading apparatus is small.
In order to solve the above problem, a disk enclosure is structured so that the disk enclosure having magnetic disk units stored therein can be pulled out of a magnetic disk loading apparatus. In this case, the magnetic disk units are moved, along with the movement of the disk enclosure, even though various cables coupled to the magnetic disk units are not straightened. Consequently, the work of maintaining the magnetic disk units or inspecting the cables becomes difficult.